The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the second largest institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. Since 1948, NIAID research has led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies that have improved the health of millions of people in the United States and around the world. In recent years, NIAID’s research agenda has expanded because of threats of bioterrorism, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, such as influenza, HIV/AIDS, West Nile virus and tuberculosis, and an increase in asthma prevalence among U.S. children.
Bioterror threats demand new and improved methods of detection and treatment, including diagnostics, vaccines and therapies. To develop these countermeasures, NIAID researchers must study dangerous and disease-causing microbes or toxins and their effect on the immune system. This research will also lead to a better understanding of other more common and naturally occurring infectious diseases, as well as enhance our knowledge of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of immunity. Greater understanding of the immune system will have positive effects for a range of conditions and diseases, including cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, allergic sensitivities as well as for preventing the rejection of transplanted organs, cells and tissues.